Let's for a minute say the Bulls make the deal for Ridnour, sign the Asik offer sheet, and amnesty Boozer in 2 years.
That leaves the team with a very interesting cap situation come 2014.
They would essentially have enough to add another max level player to the mix to compete with Rose, Noah, and Taj. (Mat leaves Deng's name off this list because he sees the other three as the Bulls true future.)
So, who's out there in 2014? How about Zach Randolph? Like the idea of a dominant post man playing along side Noah in the front court with Rose running the show?
What about Kevin Love? He has an opt out clause in 2014. Rose and Love in a pick and roll. Mat's dreams don't even excite him as much as that.
Mat's terrified of the idea of testing the free agent waters again and possibly getting burned, but the thought of giving this team a chance for a year or two more, and then set up nicely for a big off season intrigues Mat quite a bit.
If you could guarantee Mat Z-Bo or Love along with Rose, Noah, and Gibson, he might be willing to do all that's necessary over the next two years, including possibly missing the postseason here or there, to make it happen.
But the fact is, free agency is never a sure thing, so Mat would rather see Gar and Pax keep Plan 2014 on the back burner and more of a fallback plan than the true direction the franchise is heading.
Showing posts with label Carlos Boozer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carlos Boozer. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Cya, Omer. Hopefully.
In Mat's head, he is already saying goodbye to Omer Asik. Mat couldn't wrap his little head around the news when he hard about the absurd offer the Rockets made to the Bulls back up center. This leaves the Bulls up until July 14th to match the offer the Rockets made or to let Asik walk.
Asik is an integral part of the defensive makeup of this team, and Mat has no problem the Bulls paying him anywhere in the 5-8 million dollar range to play that role for the Bulls. However, anything above those figures is ludicrous in Mats opinion.
For arguments sake, let's say the Rockets offered a third year at 14 million, rather than the 15 million previously mentioned. This is still a backup center we are talking about. Probably one of the best, but still a backup center that is a defensive master. However, you would be paying 14 million to a player who has no offensive skill set whatsoever. 14 million to someone who is as frustrating to watch with the ball in his hands down low as it is to watch Mat get chased unfairly by the janitors at the Madhouse on Madison.
Mat chose to look at it from a standpoint of what everyone else on the team is getting paid. In 2014/2015, the season Omer would be making around 14 million, Derrick Rose would be pulling in almost 18 million dollars. Is there a 3 million dollar difference in talent there or is the gap larger? Mat would venture to say the gap is larger. Same goes for Boozer, making almost 17 million. How about Joakim Noah? Obviously he would have to be making more than his backup, right? No. $12,200,000. That's right. The Bulls would end up paying a backup more than the person who is in front of him on the depth chart.
Mat understands the argument can be made that the roster will most likely look nothing like that during that season. However, the fact remains that as it stands, the Omer Asik deal would make no financial sense for the Bulls as a whole. Talent wise on the defensive end, Omer has it. But his offensive ineptitude is something that cannot be ignored and Mat believes it would be a costly mistake.
14 million is a lot of money to essentially guarantee someone. Especially knowing their skill set is limited, no matter how well they fit the mold of what you have in place currently. The Bulls cannot be sucked into giving players bad contracts for the sake of familiarity. Mat thoroughly believes the Bulls should let Asik walk at that price, no matter how much it would hurt to see him go.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Dissecting Marquis Teague
With the 29th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft the Chicago Bulls selected Marquis Teague point guard out of the University of Kentucky. Mat was hearing plenty of rumors of Tyshawn Taylor and various amounts of small forward prospects, but the drafting of Teague caught this mouse by surprise.
Previous to the pick, Mat was very vocal in his displeasure with the possibility of his Bulls drafting a backup point guard to bridge the gap while Rose was out. He would have much rather seen coverage for Luol Deng's absence be drafted with the 29th pick.
However, the fact that Teague was the starting point guard on essentially a very quality D-League team in college has grown on Mat. His experience running the offense for the national champions falls right in line with what GarPax usually looks for out of their draft picks, which is reputable college and big game experience.
Teague is 6'2" in height and weighs 180 pounds. For his position and height he walks around with a very solid frame. He is a psychical specimen not to be overlooked. His explosiveness while running the point at Kentucky was another of his strong suits. Time and time again defensives couldn't deny him the ability to get to the rim. Similar, in some ways, to how Rose plays the game. Mat believes this will come in handy when speaking to the issue of fluidity without Rose on the floor this season.
His work on the pick and roll at Kentucky was lauded amongst experts. Mat noticed his ability to work with the likes of Anthony Davis and others which turned them into such a success. Imagining running this type of pick and roll with Boozer, Jo, or Taj makes Mat salivate. Hopefully that part of his game can translate well to the Bulls offense.
His defense is something of a project. Coach Thibs is the perfect person to take on this project as well. Teague has the psychical tools to matchup well with NBA PGs, but the question is how much will his size hinder his performance on that end of the court.
Mat believes his consistency is a huge question mark. His jump shot has been a cause for concern all through out his college career. A PG playing Thibs' system is usually asked to handle a portion of the scoring for the offense, and Mat believes this will be a key to the Bulls success without Rose on the floor. Considering Teague will most likely see plenty of minutes without the starting PG on the floor, this will be a huge issue as to whether or not he can adapt to a much longer schedule against much better competition night in and night out. If he can stay consistent, we may see something of a prodigy being molded right in front of our eyes.
Overall, Mat believes Teague is a project. A project that will see an increased amount of NBA time so he will literally be growing right before our eyes this upcoming season. As previously stated, a better pick could have been made at that position. Mat believes a small forward in that spot would have aided the Bulls in coping with the loss of a integral portion of their minutes and defense in reference to Deng. Signing a veteran point guard in the offseason made more sense from a stand point that PG means a lot more to the Bulls offensively.
Mat congratulates Marquis Teague and wishes him well on his endeavors with the Bulls, just as he would with any new member of the team. He looks forward to seeing him running the point hiding amidst the shadows of the Madhouse. Truth be told, he misses seeing his beloved Bulls play in general.
Go Bulls.
Previous to the pick, Mat was very vocal in his displeasure with the possibility of his Bulls drafting a backup point guard to bridge the gap while Rose was out. He would have much rather seen coverage for Luol Deng's absence be drafted with the 29th pick.
However, the fact that Teague was the starting point guard on essentially a very quality D-League team in college has grown on Mat. His experience running the offense for the national champions falls right in line with what GarPax usually looks for out of their draft picks, which is reputable college and big game experience.
Teague is 6'2" in height and weighs 180 pounds. For his position and height he walks around with a very solid frame. He is a psychical specimen not to be overlooked. His explosiveness while running the point at Kentucky was another of his strong suits. Time and time again defensives couldn't deny him the ability to get to the rim. Similar, in some ways, to how Rose plays the game. Mat believes this will come in handy when speaking to the issue of fluidity without Rose on the floor this season.
His work on the pick and roll at Kentucky was lauded amongst experts. Mat noticed his ability to work with the likes of Anthony Davis and others which turned them into such a success. Imagining running this type of pick and roll with Boozer, Jo, or Taj makes Mat salivate. Hopefully that part of his game can translate well to the Bulls offense.
His defense is something of a project. Coach Thibs is the perfect person to take on this project as well. Teague has the psychical tools to matchup well with NBA PGs, but the question is how much will his size hinder his performance on that end of the court.
Mat believes his consistency is a huge question mark. His jump shot has been a cause for concern all through out his college career. A PG playing Thibs' system is usually asked to handle a portion of the scoring for the offense, and Mat believes this will be a key to the Bulls success without Rose on the floor. Considering Teague will most likely see plenty of minutes without the starting PG on the floor, this will be a huge issue as to whether or not he can adapt to a much longer schedule against much better competition night in and night out. If he can stay consistent, we may see something of a prodigy being molded right in front of our eyes.
Overall, Mat believes Teague is a project. A project that will see an increased amount of NBA time so he will literally be growing right before our eyes this upcoming season. As previously stated, a better pick could have been made at that position. Mat believes a small forward in that spot would have aided the Bulls in coping with the loss of a integral portion of their minutes and defense in reference to Deng. Signing a veteran point guard in the offseason made more sense from a stand point that PG means a lot more to the Bulls offensively.
Mat congratulates Marquis Teague and wishes him well on his endeavors with the Bulls, just as he would with any new member of the team. He looks forward to seeing him running the point hiding amidst the shadows of the Madhouse. Truth be told, he misses seeing his beloved Bulls play in general.
Go Bulls.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Mat's Getting Mad
Mat has already sounded off once about media types saying the Bulls may not make the playoffs next year, but now he's hearing it again and is starting to get really frustrated.
The little birdie on Mat's computer screen alerted him that a well respected Bull beat writer says the Bulls "know they will struggle this season."
Mat highly doubts Tom Thibodeau thinks the Bulls are going to "struggle." He also doesn't believe Jo Noah, Taj Gibson, or Carlos Boozer feel that way either.
Will they win 70+% of their games? Mat doesn't think so. But Mat knows that Gar and Pax will work diligently to make this team better. Be it through the draft and/or free agency.
Heck, there are enough trade rumors floating around they this team may look completely different by Thursday.
One way or the other Mat knows it will not be a cake walk in 2012-13 until Rose returns. But struggle? Mat begs to differ.
The little birdie on Mat's computer screen alerted him that a well respected Bull beat writer says the Bulls "know they will struggle this season."
Mat highly doubts Tom Thibodeau thinks the Bulls are going to "struggle." He also doesn't believe Jo Noah, Taj Gibson, or Carlos Boozer feel that way either.
Will they win 70+% of their games? Mat doesn't think so. But Mat knows that Gar and Pax will work diligently to make this team better. Be it through the draft and/or free agency.
Heck, there are enough trade rumors floating around they this team may look completely different by Thursday.
One way or the other Mat knows it will not be a cake walk in 2012-13 until Rose returns. But struggle? Mat begs to differ.
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